Celebrating The Seder Meal at Passover…

The highlight of the Passover celebration is the tradition of seder which is a fifteen-step, family-oriented, ritual-packed feast! Observed on the first two nights of Passover, it is based on the Haggadah which is a book of instructions, prayers, blessings and stories and provides the order for the ritual meal. Haggadah means “the telling” in Hebrew and refers to one of the most important steps of the seder which is the recitation of the Exodus story. It is interesting because the text in the traditional Haggadah is almost the same as was first written in the eleventh century. However, now there are hundreds of versions used, each with a different spin. The most symbolic of the foods served at the seder meal is definitely the matzah which is eaten three times to fulfill the requirements of Jewish law. Matzah is an unleavened, flat, crispy bread and signifies the urgency in which the Jews fled Egypt — they didn’t even have time to let their dough rise!

Other customs of the seder meal include drinking four cups of wine, serving a variety of delicious kosher foods and reclining during the meal in celebration of freedom. It is truly a festive event. Shalom, Everyone!